A key subcommittee of the 2012 Legislature voted out the next stage of Oregon's health care reforms on Wednesday night after a lengthy off-and-on hearing.

After meeting at 5:30 p.m., the Joint Ways and Means Subcommittee on Human Services broke at 6 p.m. and reconvened well after 9p.m., having awaited final polishing of a new amendment. At about 9:40p.m., the committee voted unanimously to approve a bill setting guidelines for the new health care entities intended to dominate Oregon's health care future.

Called coordinated care organizations, or CCO's, collaborative groups of hospitals, doctors, clinics and other providers will serve members of the Oregon Health Plan using a fixed budget set by the state. The state wants the groups to focus on money-saving prevention to avoid excessive hospital costs, eventually taking over care for state and school employees as well.

Sen. Alan Bates, D-Medford, co-chair of the subcommittee-- and a longtime MCO ally, had carried two MCO-backed bills intended to help modify SB 1580, introduced at the request of Gov. John Kitzhaber.

Among other things, the changes would expand the governing board of the CCOs to include three members of the public, not the one called for in Kitzhaber's original bill. it also would include representatives of a broader section of health care providers, including one specializing in addiction or mental health.

"i want to make it clear, if I could, that we did not try to pick winners and losers in this document, "Bates said at the close of the hearing. "I hope we've done that; if we haven't, I apologize."

The text of the amended bill is expected to be released publicly on Thursday morning. It's slated to be voted on by the full Joint Ways and Means Committee on Friday, after which it could go to a floor vote in the Senate and House.

Lawmakers are trying to close the session in by the end of February, and say the health care reform bill is needed early so work can begin amending the state budget.